What is Tomica?

How Tomica numbering works

Every model in the main line carries a number from 1 to 120, and the number stays with the slot rather than the car. When Takara Tomy decides a casting has run its course, the number is reassigned to a completely different vehicle. No. 72, for example, has been several different cars over the years, most recently the Jeep Wrangler, which replaced the Toyota Crown.

This is the single most confusing thing for new collectors, and it is why a number alone is not enough to identify a Tomica. When you look up a model you should always check the release year as well, because "No. 72" could mean any of the cars that have used it.

Numbers above 120 belong to the Long Type line, which covers buses, trailers and other vehicles too large for the standard box. The collector lines — Tomica Premium, Tomica Limited Vintage and Dream Tomica — use their own separate numbering.

What scale is Tomica?

Tomica does not use one fixed scale. The box size is fixed, and each casting is scaled to fit it, so a small kei car ends up around 1/57 while a bus can be as small as 1/150. Most passenger cars sit between 1/60 and 1/67, which puts them very close to the 1/64 scale used by Hot Wheels and Matchbox.

In practice a Tomica parked next to a Hot Wheels car looks about the right size. The difference matters mainly if you are mixing brands in a diorama, or if you collect Tomica Limited Vintage, which is a strict 1/64 line.

How Tomica differs from Hot Wheels and Matchbox

The philosophy is different. Hot Wheels leans towards fantasy castings, bright colours and fast play; Matchbox leans towards realistic working vehicles. Tomica leans towards real Japanese vehicles — the cars, trucks, buses and construction machines that a Japanese child actually sees on the street.

That is why the range is full of things rarely seen in Western die-cast: kei cars, municipal fire appliances, delivery vans with real company liveries, and excavators produced with the cooperation of Komatsu and Hitachi. Almost every casting has working suspension, and many have opening doors, hoods or removable parts.

• Made in Japan by Takara Tomy since 1970
• Numbered 1 – 120 in the regular line, with numbers recycled between castings
• Scale varies to fit a fixed box size, usually around 1/60 to 1/67
• Focus on real Japanese vehicles, including working and municipal vehicles
• Standard price in Japan is 594 yen including tax

What "first edition" means

When a new Tomica goes on sale in Japan it is usually sold in two runs: the regular version, and a 初回特別仕様 (Special First Edition). The first edition is normally the same casting in a different colour or finish, and it is only produced in the first production run. Once it sells out it does not come back, which is why first editions are the versions collectors chase.

Is Tomica still made in Japan?

The brand and the design work remain Japanese, but like almost every toy company Takara Tomy uses factories outside Japan, including in Vietnam and China. The packaging will normally tell you where a specific car was made.

Questions